Preparation

Roast and sauté peppers:
Roast bell peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are charred, 6 to 8 minutes. (Alternatively, broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, 15 to 25 minutes.) Transfer to a bowl and let stand, tightly covered, until cool. Peel peppers, discarding stems and seeds, and finely chop.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté peppers, stirring frequently, until tender and excess liquid is evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in basil and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

Cook chard:
Cook chard leaves in a 4- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water
, uncovered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Squeeze handfuls of chard to remove excess moisture, then finely chop.

Break 4 eggs into each of 2 bowls, then add 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste to each and whisk to combine eggs in each bowl. Whisk 3 tablespoons crème fraîche into 1 bowl of eggs until smooth, then stir in bell pepper mixture. Whisk 1/4 cup crème fraîche into other bowl of eggs until smooth, then stir in chard mixture.

Pour bell pepper eggs into oiled loaf pan and bake in a hot water bath
in middle of oven until firm to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes (about 13 minutes if using round cake pan).

Pour chard eggs into loaf pan and continue to bake until layer is firm, 18 to 20 minutes more (about 13 minutes if using round cake pan).

While chard layer bakes, break remaining 5 eggs into a bowl, then add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and whisk to combine. Whisk in Cheddar and remaining 1/4 cup crème fraîche, then pour cheese eggs into loaf pan and bake until layer is lightly browned and slightly puffed, about 20 minutes (about 16 minutes if using round cake pan). Transfer loaf pan to a rack and cool omelet 5 minutes.

Invert a long platter over loaf pan and invert omelet onto platter. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Cooks' notes:
·Bell peppers can be roasted and peeled (but not sautéed) 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
·Bell pepper, chard, and cheese egg mixtures can be prepared (but not baked) 1 day ahead and chilled separately, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

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Recent Review

I made this for a
Saturday brunch and
it turned out quite
well. I did not
have chard on hand,
so I used spinach.
Also, I used roasted
red peppers from a
jar. If I was to
use chard, I think I
would get the red
kind and use the
stems for the bottom
layer. As in, why
not?? I also used
only 10 eggs as I
did not have a loaf
pan as large as the
recipe specified and
I was serving 5 so I
did not need such a
large amount.
The hot water bath
is a great idea. I
would suggest
boiling some water
in a teakettle to
have on hand though
as the water level
drops quite a bit by
the end of the
baking.
One of the guests,
who is a bit of a
picky eater, liked
it very much.